


By The Horns

by SusieBeeca



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Corruption scars, Freudian Slip, Gen, Introspection, Nicknames, Post-BOHAM, Quasi-Flirting, Self-Esteem, Sexual Tension, Weapons, illustrated fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 09:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19206577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusieBeeca/pseuds/SusieBeeca
Summary: Jasper has been offered a weapon upgrade. While she watches the blacksmith work, she contemplates her new life.A Quartz soldier shouldn't feel fear.





	By The Horns

“Show me what you got.”

Jasper let her eyes drift to the side. This would only be the second time she’d summoned her helmet since… _it_ happened to her. She’d been reassured that this renegade Bismuth wouldn’t judge her, not after everything she’d seen and done, but Jasper had caught her glancing up to her new horns more than once. Part of her felt almost grateful that Bismuth was trying to be subtle about her gawking, but another, stronger part deep in her core felt resentment at what could have been a look of pity on her face.

To Hell with that. She was the ultimate Quartz warrior. She had no need for pity.

_No,_ she thought, _I **used** to be the ultimate Quartz warrior._

"Fine." She took a big gulp of the sooty air and drew her weapon.

For a second or two there was silence, only broken by the bubbling magma. The blacksmith scratched her chin as she appraised what she had to work with.

“Hm, okay,” she murmured; it looked like she wanted to touch it, but---thank the stars---she at least had the decency to keep her hands to herself. “I have an idea, but I need to get the parameters first. Move your head around a bit, willya?”

Jasper made a non-committal sound, but obliged.

“The side pieces---are they primarily for protection, or anchoring?”

That gave her pause. She’d never considered that before---her helmet was her weapon, and it was always just _there_ , something to serve her, not something to be questioned. Her answer was half-guess, half-fib. “Both.”

“I gotcha. We’ll work around them.”

When Bismuth turned away, Jasper sighed and leaned against the wall, right between two hanging scimitars; she dismissed her weapon and placed a calloused palm over her forehead, thumbing around the new growths. They were undeniably part of her form now, yet seemed so alien at the same time. She was used to her off-coloured stripes, and had spent a lifetime stamping down the little bubbles of shame they occasionally caused her---but these new scars felt like they were cutting right into her soul.

_Why did they even bother bringing me back?_

She was snapped out of her brooding by a loud, metallic clanging that echoed off the walls. The blacksmith was at work.

“Tricky one, this is,” she said, as if to herself. Jasper watched warily as Bismuth kept turning the red-hot ingot around under her hand-hammer. “I gotta taper it on one side, but keep the bulk of it to the base…”

“Uh-huh,” Jasper replied, feigning disinterest, though she had to admit the way this rebel threw herself into her craft was nothing short of impressive. There was something captivating about the way the glow of the lava shone on her muscles, and with a reluctant flutter of approval, Jasper wondered just how much of a demon this gem must have been on the battlefield.

She worked surprisingly fast; it only took a few more crashes before she picked up the finished piece and blew the heat off of it in plumes of inky smoke. “Ta-da!”

When she noticed Jasper’s reticence, she lowered her hand and bobbed her head with a little grin. “C’mon, Pumpkin. Summon your helmet so I can see if this fits.”

There had been a time when Jasper would have screamed at anyone who called her by a term of endearment, but this nickname seemed convivial, somehow. She still made sure to let out a grunt of displeasure as she approached. “What is it?”

“Something to give you a cutting edge,” she said with a grin as she turned it around in her hands. “Three iron spikes, the biggest on the top, with a flat base that’ll attach to the business end,” she explained, and when Jasper was a foot away, her grin turned to what seemed to be a gentle smile. “May I?”

Jasper lowered her head in response, and stared down at their feet as Bismuth jiggled the base plate into place. It didn’t hurt, but she could feel a slight pressure against her horns as it clicked.

“Ah, there you go!”

She lifted her head and looked up, a bit cross-eyed, and despite herself, Jasper gasped. Her helmet had always been a sight to behold, but now with those huge spikes jutting out of it, it looked downright _formidable_.

For the first time since crashing back to life in the fountain, Jasper smiled.

“One hit from these babies, and you could take down a whole platoon!” Bismuth said, clearly quite proud of herself. Their eyes met, and to Jasper’s surprise, Bismuth actually blushed a bit. “Not that you’d have a problem doing that on your own,” she added as her gaze flicked up and down over Jasper’s form. “I kinda regret never running into you on the battlefield before---I heard the stories about you, Pumpkin.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah, something about you plowing down sixty rebels on your first day.” She winked. “I really oughta hold that against you, but hey, we’re on the same side now. And besides, tits all in the past. I have a feeling we’re gonna get along just fine.”

For a moment there was silence, and Bismuth’s smile turned from cocky to sheepish as her blush deepened.

She coughed into her fist. “I, uh. I said ‘tits’ back there, didn’t I?”

Jasper smirked and adjusted her shoulder straps. She may be deformed with corruption blotches, but at least now she knew she still got it!

 

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wanted this to be a comic (Bismuth's "I fucked up" face would've been fun to draw!) but this way I could peek into Jasper's head a bit more.  
> As always, thanks for reading!


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